A Forkland man avoided the death penalty by pleading guilty to killing his wife at Livingston High School in 2010.

Telvin Gray, 35, shot his wife Starrick Gray outside of the school where she taught special education. He was angry with her because she had announced her intentions to divorce him, said 17th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Greg Griggers.

After shooting his wife three times in the face and once in the abdomen, Gray led police on a chase to Demopolis where he was arrested after wrecking his car.

“He was jealous. Our evidence would have shown basically that he had the mindset of ‘if she’s not going to be with me, she’s not going to be with anybody else,’” Griggers said.

Gray was sentenced to serve life in prison with no possibility of parole. Griggers said he would have sought the death penalty in a trial that was scheduled this week.

Gray entered the plea on Nov. 20. Evidence was presented to a jury during a mini-trial held Tuesday, which is required even if a defendant pleads guilty in a capital murder case.

“Her family members almost felt like the punishment was more severe than the death penalty,” Griggers said. “That it’s more of a just penalty for him to have to live with the idea of what he did for the rest of his life.”

Three of the jurors who heard the evidence, including accounts from three eyewitnesses, told Griggers that they would have felt comfortable recommending the death penalty.

Griggers said that Gray fired the first shot at his wife from inside his car, which warranted the capital murder charge.

“The evidence we had showed that his plan was to shoot her from the vehicle,” Griggers said. “I think the rage got the best of him and he couldn’t stand it. He walked out and shot her three more times.”

Gray had harassed his wife before that day, Griggers said, and she was fearful of him. The couple had no children together, but Starrick Gray had two now-teenage sons at the time.

Telvin Gray delivered sermons at different churches in area.

Starrick Gray had taught at Livingston High School for around 10 years. She earned her master’s degree in special education from the University of West Alabama.

“She was just a real, good young lady. Everyone had such nice things to say about her,” Griggers said.